Stay on target

David Bowie may no longer be with us, but his style legacy lives on. The musician’s eccentric fashion taste even inspired one fan, who also loves marine life, to make a creative blog dedicated to Bowie and colorful sea slugs.

But, how could a starlet and a water critter be so connected? According to Tracy Dendy, a New-York based designer who founded the Bowiebranchia blog, they make the perfect match due to their vibrant appearances.

Dendy created the blog after a co-worker noted how these radiant sea slugs resembled Bowie’s cool outfits, PBS News Hour reported. Four years later, Bowiebranchia has more than 8,000 followers on Tumblr.

Photo Credit: Bowiebranchia/Tumblr

According to the description of the blog, visitors can see photos of “Nudibranchia or other opisthobranchia compared to the various looks of David Bowie.” There are over 40 images that pair Bowie with these sea slugs, and the side-by-side pictures really blur the lines between the two. From lady bug-like dots to bold patterns, Bowie and these sea slugs make quite the pair.

Photo Credit: Bowiebranchia/Tumblr

There is actually scientific reasoning behind some sea slugs’ colorful exteriors: They use them to warn predators about their potentially toxic insides.

Anne Winters, an evolutionary biologist, told PBS News Hour that these sea slugs product gross chemicals or eat poisonous animals, including cnidarians and sponges, to protect themselves. Similar to Bowie, these sea slugs try to stand out to make a statement and ward off all the haters.

“They’re both trying to stand out,” Winters told PBS News Hour. “He’s trying to make a statement and get recognized for his individuality and his music, and nudibranchs are trying to get recognized too.”

Photo Credit: Bowiebranchia/Tumblr

The big question though is what would Bowie himself think of this blog? “I’m fairly certain he would have loved it, actually,” Paul Trynka, a Bowie biographer and journalist told PBS News Hour.

“The era we’re discussing — the glam era — was a very, very competitive one. Bowie had to be successful. He was kind of Darwinian in that sense,” Trynka said. “Survival of the fittest is a fairly brutal concept. In the same way, Bowie could be very brutal and competitive.”